The various families of custom ROMs are in an arms race... in a really nice way. Each one is trying to one-up the others with new features and improvements on stock Android, with some genuinely spectacular results in some cases. The latest beta builds of Paranoid Android include some particularly useful features, most notably a revamped Quick Settings menu. The PA version of the drop-down icon grid allows for multiple functions for each square and on the fly rearranging.

There are a lot of things to like about about Motorola's bargain wonder the Moto G, but the animated boot logo probably isn't at the top of the list. The boot animation which it shares with the Moto X is admittedly cool, and at least someone at Motorola is paying attention to it, even after launching both phones. The Motorola Boot Services app was published in the Google Play Store today, downloadable only on the Moto G.

Android is now the undisputed champion of mobile marketshare, but certain companies are still releasing exclusive iOS apps, like the JARVIS-themed Iron Man 3 companion. It's a bummer, but iOS users can't make sweet custom boot animations like the one that Redditor hypd09 posted to /r/Android yesterday. It won't turn your phone into a suit of weaponized armor, but it will look pretty sweet with your elaborate Halloween costume.

Last night, 73v1n, the author of the last few CyanogenMod boot animations, posted an updated and completely revamped version designed for CyanogenMod 10. It's very likely going to become the official animation of the ROM in the future, but if you want some of this goodness on your device stat (especially if you're running CM 7 or 9, as the version number doesn't appear in the newest animation), you don't have to wait for CM10 at all - 73v1n has now uploaded it for everyone to enjoy.

73v1n (a.k.a. @Xevin, a.k.a. Cameron Behzadpour), the creator of official CyanogenMod boot animations, dropped the version for CM10 a couple of minutes ago. Jelly Bean-colored, clean, and simple, yet, in my opinion, highly attractive, the animation hits the nail on the head. There no Cid, no controversy surrounding him, no outdated skater dude - just pure awesomeness. I won't spoil the fun - just watch.

It's kind of a tradition now for the Android team to create different boot animations for every Android release, and Jelly Bean is definitely no exception. Here's the boot animation from the Nexus 7 which is, as you all should know by now, the first device running Android 4.1:

If you need a refresher, here's the one from ICS, for comparison purposes (for science!):

The boot animation from CyanogenMod 7 still ranks somewhere towards the top of my personal list, but this new one, created by the same designer Cameron Behzadpour (73v1n) using Adobe After Effects, is definitely a step-up.

It builds on top of his previous effort and is quite possibly the best-looking boot animation I've seen on Android so far. And it's officially coming to CM9. Excellent work, Cameron!

Update: Check out this unofficial take on the same animation, but without as much background noise that some of you may prefer:

You may remember last month, when some developers cheekily requested that Android's logcat icon be replaced with an image of the famed nyan cat. You may also remember that their request was granted, boosting some users' productivity by up to "200%." Thanks to an anonymous benefactor, we've got something even better:

That's right, a nyandroid boot animation. Finally, you can see Andy rocketing through the galaxy, leaving a trail of rainbows behind, each and every time you switch on your device.

It seems that sneak peeks of the next Nexus device - and its firmware - have really been picking up steam in recent days. Just after we were treated to video of Ice Cream Sandwich running on a Nexus S, the folks at MyDroidWorld have released the so-called Nexus Prime's boot animation to the public, and it looks, well, awesome. I've taken the liberty of putting together a clip of the boot animation by itself for your viewing pleasure:

There's no doubt that we're all waiting with anticipation for the HTC Vigor, which is rumored to be coming out as the Droid Incredible HD, to hit the market. It's reportedly going to be the first full HD phone, sporting a 720p display, 1.5Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, Sense 3.5, and Android 2.3.4 -- in other words, it's going to be a beast.

For those who want to get a little taste of what the Vigor has to offer before this upcoming HTC monster is officially released, we have gotten our hands on all of the multimedia goodies from the device.